Doorstop



June 16, 1931'. F. T. RICHARDS DOORSTOP 7 Filed Sept. 26. 1929 patented June I6, 1931 UNITED STATES r Fries FREDERICK T. RICHARDS, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STOVER I/IANUFACTUR- ING & ENGINE (10., OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, .A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS Application filed September 26,1929. Serial N'o. 395,413.

My invention relates to door stops of the type adapted to be attached to doors such as garage doors adapted to hold them in an open position. I

Swinging doors of the type usually employed upon garages and other buildings of like character must be provided with some means for maintaining them in an open position, otherwise the wind will be continually blowing the door shut.

Numerous devices have been provided for this purpose. In someinstances a member is positioned in the ground behind the door in'the open position bearing a hook or the like arranged to engage J an eye placed upon the outer side of the door.

In other instances, brackets or stops have been attached to the doorhaving a swinging member arranged to engage the ground or floor beneath the door. However, in all of 539 these cases in operating the holding member it is necessary to stoop over and employ the hands to manipulate the device. Where props are used difii-culty arises with the prop falling with slight jars from the inoperative or storage position to the operative lowered position.

In other words, when the device is made suitably easy in operation there is continual danger of the movable prop member dropping down to engage the ground or floor atan inopportune moment. There is also the difficulty with these props that when the door is brought to its completely open position and o the prop member broughtdown and caused to engagethe ground or floor the door is propped tightly in the open position with the end of the'prop passing into the ground a short distance. When the door is to be closed, because of its tightly clamped position, it is difiicult to remove the end of the prop from the ground or floor.

With these disadvantages of the prior art in mind I have aimed to provide a simplified door stop wherein the prop member is secure 1y held in its inoperative position but wherein the prop may be moved, from the inoperative position to the operative position'by means of slight pressure of the foot.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a door prop wherein the prop member has not only a hinge bearing but also a sliding bearing contact with the door to permit slight movement of the door when the prop member engages the ground in its operative position. I

I have also aimed to provide a door prop which may be completely operated by the foot and wherein the use of the hands is not necessary.

I have also aimed to provide a deviceof the character described which,beca-use of its construction,may be manufactured at a small cost.

' Other objects and advantages of my improved construction will be apparent to those skilled in the art from. the following description and from the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the prop attached to a door;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2---2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 22 similar to Fig. 2, showing the prop arm in the elevated position.

The invention contemplates generally the provision of a bracket arranged to be attached to the door in an appropriate position having a pivotal bearing pin therein spaced from the door. A prop arm is provided with a slotted bearing in which the pin is posi-' tioned, the prop arm having both pivotal and sliding movement in such slotted bearing.

Referring particularly'to Figs. 2 and 3 the prop consists of a bracket designated generally by 5 arranged to be attached to a door 6 by means of screws 7. The bracket is provided with two upstanding ears 8, arrangedto project laterally outward from the door. A pin 9 extends between the two ears and is spaced from the bracket plate 10 a suitable distance,"dependent upon factors which will presently be obvious. A prop arm 11, which may be made of suitable metal rod, if desired, is provided at, its upper end with a bearing loop indicated generallyby 12. Reference to the drawings will show the loop to be so con-' structed as to have parallel sides 13 and 141 on the inner side thereof. It will also be evident that the rod portion 15 of thearm extends outward from this bearing loop at ever, when the end 16 of the arm engages the ground or floor 17, lie substantially parallel with the face of the door, as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower end 16 of the arm 15 may be sharpened, as at 18, to facilitate the entry thereof into the floor or ground 17 or to permit the end to engage small crevices or holes in concrete or other material.

The operation of the device will. be seen to be very simple and yet very convenient. The prop is shown in its operative position in Fig. 2, wherein the pin 9 rests firmly against the lower end 19 of the loop 12. It will be seen that in this position it is impossible for the door to move toward the prop. It will, however, be seen that because of the opening 20 in the loop the door may be drawn away from the arm 15 permitting the arallel sides 13 and ll to move downwar along the pin 9. In this manner, a certain amount of slack is provided to permit the point 18 of the arm to be withdrawn from the ground 17. 3y placing the. foot against the arm 15 it may be rotated to the position shown in dotted lines in this figure.

' During this rotation the loop 12 slides downward upon the pin until the pin rests in the upper end 21 of the loop. If this rotation is continued it will be seen that eventually the loop will occupy the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. At this point the loop begins to slide downward on the pin due to the angularity ot the sides 13 and 14 with respect to the vertical. The loop is thus crawn inward until the end 21 thereof comes in contact with the bracket plate 10. A the same time the arm 15 is moving inward, the complete prop arm eventually occu ying a position shown in full lines in Fig. it will be apparent that because of the Contact of the end 21 and the arm 15 with the bracket plate 10 and the door 6, there is little likelihood of the arm 11 being accidentally thrown downward into the operative position. Yet it Will be seen that by placing the toe of the shoe against the end 21 of the loop the prop arm 11 may be easily moved upward into the dotted line position from which it will fall by gravity through the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 until the end 18 thereof strikes the ground. As the door now is brought into its completely open position the end 18 is trailed across the surface of the ground. \Vhen the door is released from this position it will be seen that the pin 9 occupies a position against the upper side 21 of the loop. Now, when the door is permitted to drift back toward its closed posi tion a slight bitthe end 18 engages the ground and the loop 12 moves upward to the full line position shown in Fig. 2.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a highly improved and highly simplified door prop which may be operated entirely by means of the foot and which lacks many or the disadvantages of the devices of this character found in the prior art. It will also be apparent that the device may be constructed at a relatively small cost as compared with similar devices.

lVhile I have thus described and illustrated a specific embodiment of my invention I am aware that numerous alteations and changes may be made therein without materially departing from the spirit thereof and I do not wish to be limited except as required by the prior art and the scope of the appended claim in which- I claim:

A door prop oi the character described comprising a prop arm arranged to move between au operativeand an inoperative position including a lower end adapted to engage the floor at one sideo'l the door when in the operative position and a bearing loop having substantially parallel sides positioned at an angle with respect to the remainder of said arm and defining an elongated opening having the same angular rela tion as said sides with respect to said arm, and a bracket adapted to be positioned upon a door, said bracket having a vertical wall at the face of thedoor and a. bearing pin spaced therefrom to en age the elongated opening formed by said loop, whereby said prop arm may be turned thereon from said operative position to said inoperative position with said arm extending upward against the door, the parallel sides of said loop sliding over said pin to bring said prop arm inward against the door, and said prop arm inthe operative position having thrust engagement at the lowerend oi? its elonted openin upwardly against the bearmg pm.

In witness of the foregoing l ailix my signature.

FREDERICK T. RICHARDS. 

